Historical

The story begins in 1629, when the pride of the Dutch East India Company, the Batavia, is on its maiden voyage en route from Amsterdam to the Dutch East Indies, laden down with the greatest treasure to leave Holland....

Our heroes can come from the most ordinary of places. As a shy young lad growing up in country Victoria, no one in the district had any idea the man Albert Jacka would become.

The 38 letters written by Rockefeller to his son imparting his perspectives, ideology, and wisdom to his son....

In the best-selling tradition of Truman, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer David Herbert Donald offers a new classic in American history and biography....

Born in 1894, Facey lived the rough frontier life of a sheep farmer, survived the gore of Gallipoli, raised a family through the Depression and spent 60 years with his beloved wife, Evelyn....

The iconic Australian exploration story - brought to life by Peter FitzSimons, Australia's storyteller....

The extraordinary story of the brave, bold Hubert Wilkins - Australia's most adventurous explorer, naturalist, photographer, war hero, aviator, spy and daredevil - brought to life by Australia's greatest storyteller....

Titan is the first full-length biography based on unrestricted access to Rockefeller’s exceptionally rich trove of papers. A landmark publication full of startling revelations, the book indelibly alters our image of this most enigmatic capitalist....

J. Robert Oppenheimer, an iconic figure of the 20th century, was a brilliant physicist who led efforts to build an atomic bomb but later confronted the moral consequences of scientific progress....

In early December 1846, starving and desperate, Sarah Graves and 14 other pioneers led by George Donner set out for California on snowshoes and over the next 32 days endured almost unfathomable hardships and horrors....

Corrie ten Boom was a Dutch watchmaker who became a heroine of the Resistance, a survivor of Hitler's concentration camps, and one of the most remarkable evangelists of the 20h century....

At Victoria station the R.T.O. gave me a travel warrant, a white feather and a picture of Hitler marked 'This is your enemy'. I searched every compartment, but he wasn't on the train....

Heroes are hard to come by - but there's one man whose legend has stood the test of two centuries, and whose name sits on Australia's highest peak. Tadeusz Kosciuszko: freedom fighter, friend of Thomas Jefferson and champion of liberty on two continents.

Tom Crean was the farmer’s son from Kerry who sailed on three major expeditions to the unknown Antarctic over a century ago. He served with both Captain Robert Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton, spent longer on the ice than either and outlived them both....

French philosopher Jean Paul Sartre said that "words are loaded pistols". In the hands of Russ Baker, they are hydrogen bombs....

The Pillow Book of Sei Shōnagon is a fascinating, detailed account of Japanese court life in the closing years of the 10th century....

The six wives of Henry VIII have become defined in a popular sense not so much by their lives as by the way these lives ended. But, as Antonia Fraser conclusively proves, they were rich and feisty characters.

In 2013 Assata Shakur, founding member of the Black Liberation Army, former Black Panther and godmother of Tupac Shakur, became the first ever woman to make the FBI's most wanted list....

Master Italian sculptor, goldsmith, and writer Benvenuto Cellini is best remembered for his magnificent autobiography....

For the first time in decades, here, in a single volume, is a fresh look at the fabled Tudor dynasty, comprising some of the most enigmatic figures ever to rule a country. ....

The extraordinary life of forgotten World War II hero Evans Carlson, commander of America’s first special forces, secret confidant of FDR, and one of the most controversial officers in the history of the Marine Corps.

Long before Manchester gave the world titans of industry, comedy, music and sport, it was the cosmopolitan Roman fort of Mamucium. But it was as the ‘shock city’ of the Industrial Revolution that Manchester really made its mark on the world stage....

The Pursuit of Happiness is more than an elucidation of the Declaration’s famous phrase; it is a revelatory journey into the minds of the Founders, and a deep, rich, and fresh understanding of the foundation of our democracy.

Madame Brussels, the most legendary brothel keeper in 19th-century Melbourne, is still remembered and celebrated today. But until now, little has been known about Caroline Hodgson, the woman behind the alter ego. Born in Prussia to a working-class family, Hodgson arrived in Melbourne in 1871...

Deemed "irreplaceable" by Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson assumed his nickname during the Battle of Bull Run in the Civil War....

In The Hemlock Cup, award-winning historian Bettany Hughes brings to vivid life one of the most influential thinkers the world has ever known: Socrates of Athens. A maverick philosopher who philosophised in squares and public arenas rather than the courts of kings, Socrates left his indelible mark on the entirety of Western civilisation - yet the life of the man himself is shrouded in mystery.

Madame Brussels, the most legendary brothel keeper in 19th-century Melbourne, is still remembered and celebrated today. But until now, little has been known about Caroline Hodgson, the woman behind the alter ego. Born in Prussia to a working-class family, Hodgson arrived in Melbourne in 1871. Left alone when her police-officer husband was sent to work in remote Victoria, she turned her hand to running brothels.

From the New York Times bestselling authors of The Nazi Conspiracy comes a true, little-known story about the first assassination attempt on John F. Kennedy, right before his inauguration. Kennedy was infamously assassinated in 1963, ending his historic presidency. But what most people don't know is that JFK's story almost ended before it began – at the hands of a disgruntled sociopathic loner armed with dynamite.

Discover the remarkable life of Daniel Boone... Daniel Boone is one of those figures in American history whose life often intertwines with myths and legends. While numerous tall tales surround this American adventurer, many of his greatest feats are actually true. They are not merely artifacts of folklore—they genuinely happened. Daniel Boone really did blaze a trail through the Cumberland Gap into the western frontier. He really did become initiated as a member of the Shawnee (who gave him the name “Big Turtle”), and he really did serve under Revolutionary War General George Rogers Clark.

What happens when one man decides to rely on prayer alone to meet every need? Sincere attempts to define George Müller as a preacher, evangelist, or a man who cared for the poor, fail to illustrate why you should read about him. The man who cared for over 10,000 orphans and established 120 schools is best remembered for the principles by which he lived his life — principles that are now within your reach.

Das Besondere an dieser Biografie Benjamin Franklins ist, dass er diese selber geschrieben hat. Dieser Umstand mag den einen oder anderen vorschnellen Kritiker dazu verleiten, den vorliegenden Text als geschönt oder nicht literarisch einzustufen, allerdings ist erstaunlicherweise genau das Gegenteil der Fall. Eine wunderbare Persönlichkeit und Sachlichkeit ist in Franklins Schreibstil gepaart mit einer weit überdurchschnittlichen Eleganz in Wortwahl und Ausdruck.

Hermine "Miep" Gies (February 15, 1909-January 11, 2010) was one of the Dutch citizens who hid Anne Frank, her family (Otto, Margot, Edith) and four other Dutch Jews (Fritz Pfeffer, Hermann van Pels, Auguste van Pels, Peter van Pels) from the Nazis in an annex above Otto Frank's business premises during World War II.

Una provetta di gas radioattivo lanciata in una fontana, un'intuizione improvvisa davanti a un semaforo londinese, la scoperta - quasi per caso - che l'atomo può spaccarsi. Sembrano episodi scollegati. E invece sono le prime scosse di un terremoto che cambierà il mondo: l'esplosione della bomba atomica. Tra le tessere del domino allineate in attesa di innescare la serie di eventi che condurranno a Hiroshima e Nagasaki, tre figure spiccano su tutte. Enrico Fermi, mente pragmatica e geniale, che porterà la scienza italiana nel cuore del Progetto Manhattan.

Every success story begins with a single step in the right direction. Pem Dorjee Sherpa's journey began with a determination to break the cycle of poverty and abuse he was born into. To do that, Pem will have to summon the resilience, courage, and resolve to do what others only dream of: summit Mt. Everest.

This monumental biography by David Levering Lewis—eight years in the research and writing—treats the early and middle phases of a long and intense career: a crucial fifty-year period that demonstrates how W.E.B. Du Bois changed forever the way Americans think about themselves. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois—the premier architect of the civil rights movement in America—was a towering and controversial personality, a fiercely proud individual blessed with the language of the poet and the impatience of the agitator.

The Furhrer delves into the complex and disturbing life of Adolf Hitler, a man who became synonymous with hatred and fear.

In an age of spectacle, we often forget the quiet work that sustains a nation. Quiet Valor is a masterfully told, deeply human tribute to the Americans who shaped the country not with fanfare but with resolve. In this moving and impeccably researched collection, Larry Nouvel lifts the veil on 15 extraordinary individuals whose integrity, courage, and service reshaped the moral architecture of the United States.

Accidental Tyrant serves as a stark cautionary tale, underscoring that the triumph of liberty is never guaranteed. Met with insufficient resistance, even the most unlikely leader can build a regime of repression and privation that long outlives its founder.

Reporterskie śledztwo podążające „ścieżką szczurów" znaną z „Akt Odessy". Autor, poszukując związków pomiędzy III Rzeszą a dyktaturami południowoamerykańskimi, staje w progu bezpiecznej kryjówki jednego z najbardziej poszukiwanych i nigdy nieodnalezionych niemieckich nazistów, Josefa Mengelego – zwanego „Aniołem Śmierci" lub „Mefisto z Auschwitz". Ilu podobnych do niego, choć mniej znanych, uniknęło międzynarodowej sprawiedliwości po II wojnie światowej? Ilu powróciło po latach do Niemiec ze złotem zrabowanym ofiarom hitlerowskiego terroru?

Corporal Andy Reid was an ordinary soldier, serving in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. But his life changed for ever on Tuesday 13 October 2009, when he was blown up by a Taliban improved explosive device (IED). Evacuated to the UK, it was touch-and-go whether he would survive. He had lost both legs and his right arm, while the index finger of his left hand was almost completely removed. Yet survive he did and less than a month after being blown up, he was reunited with his patrol back in Warminster.

Ladd Hamilton's vivid storytelling brings to life the infamous murder of popular Lewiston merchant Lloyd Magruder in the Bitterroot Mountains during the 1860s Idaho-Montana gold rush.

Das Hörbuch zum Bildband als authentische Autorenlesung erzählt die Storys aus der Zeit, welche die Geschichte auf eine lebensechte Art und Weise dokumentieren und Erinnerungen wieder aufleben lassen. Er wirft so einen Blick hinter die Fassade der Straßenkultur und zeichnet einen Lebensweg hinein in einen Strudel aus Rivalität und Delinquenz und wieder heraus zu Freundschaft und Kreativität. Rückblick, Berlin in den 2000er Jahren: Die Stadt pulsierte vor Energie und Kreativität.

Few figures in history have captured the imagination like Alexander the Great. A military genius, visionary ruler, and cultural bridge between East and West, his conquests reshaped the ancient world. But what was the true extent of his ambition? How did his empire-building efforts leave an enduring mark on civilizations? And what can we learn today from his triumphs—and his failures?

Benjamin Franklin was more than just a Founding Father of the United States—he was a visionary, a scientist, a diplomat, and an intellectual giant whose legacy continues to shape the world today. In The Architect of a Nation: Unveiling the Legacy of Benjamin Franklin, Arley Ballenger provides a comprehensive and captivating biography of this extraordinary figure, exploring how Franklin's ideas, inventions, and diplomacy helped forge the United States into the nation it is today.

The Declaration of Independence identified two core principles—independence and equality—that defined the American Revolution and the nation forged in 1776. Jefferson believed that each new generation of Americans would have to look to the "experience of the present" rather than the "wisdom" of the past to interpret and apply these principles in new and progressive ways.

The Chabad-Lubavitch movement, one of the world's best-known Hasidic groups, is driven by the belief that we are on the verge of the messianic age. The man most recognized for the movement's success is the seventh and last Lubavitcher rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902–1994), believed by many of his followers to be the Messiah.

Am 2. November 1971 hatte der 16-jährige Ronald eine Nahbegegnung mit einem UFO in dem kleinen Ort Delphos in Kansas in den USA, welches einen leuchtenden Ring auf dem Erdboden hinterließ. Der Ring blieb für lange Zeit sichtbar. Alles zu dem Fall gibt es in diesem Hörspiel zu hören.

All Indian Army soldiers are brave, but Naib Subedar Chunni Lal, AC, VrC, SM stood out as one of the bravest. At five feet three, he stood mighty tall. He is a legendary figure in India's military history.

Otto Heinrich Frank (May 12, 1889-August 19, 1980) was a German businessman, and the father of Anne Frank. He edited and published the first edition of her diary in 1947 (subsequently known in English as The Diary of a Young Girl) and advised on its later theatrical and cinematic adaptations. In the 1950s and the 1960s, he established European charities in his daughter's name and founded the trust which preserved his family's wartime hiding place, the Anne Frank House, in Amsterdam. The following first two audio clips are in English; the third is in Dutch.

Grace Brewster Hopper (December 9, 1906 to January 1, 1992) was an American computer scientist, mathematician, and United States Navy rear admiral. A pioneer of computer programming, Hopper was the first to devise the theory of machine-independent programming languages and used this theory to develop the FLOW-MATIC programming language and COBOL, an early high-level programming language still in use today. She was also one of the first programmers on the Harvard Mark I computer.